WEEKEND: Sunday talk at Fort Worden sheds light on eelgrass science

Published 12:01 am Friday, November 6, 2015

PORT TOWNSEND — John Vivrinec of the Battelle Marine Laboratory will talk about “Shedding Light on Eelgrass Restoration” at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Fort Worden Chapel.

Tickets are $10 or $5 for Port Townsend Marine Science Center members.

The state has set a goal of increasing the amount of eelgrass by 20 percent by 2020 because of the importance of eelgrass to salmon.

Eelgrass beds are critical to young salmon’s survival, providing a ribbon of safe haven along the coast as they make their way to the open ocean, Vivrinec said.

Not only is salmon is a $100 million-dollar industry, but salmon, and in turn eelgrass, are interdependent with countless other Puget Sound species that comprise a healthy environment, he said.

Vivrinic and his associates at Battelle in Sequim have been working with researchers in the state Department of Natural Resources to develop a cooperative initiative to study one pivotal issue for bringing back eelgrass beds along the nearshore: light.

For information, contact Alison Riley at ariley@ptmsc.org or 360-385-5582.